Dolly Parton Imagination Library book distribution program helps children succeed

Friday

Mar 15, 2013 at 2:47 PMMar 15, 2013 at 2:59 PM

Books are the foundation for strong community

By Cheryl GranzoDirector of Early Childhood Programs, Ionia ISD

Education is something everyone is concerned with these days. The governor and legislators are concerned with reforming it; teachers are concerned with assuring that children are making progress; parents are concerned about how to support their children in this technological age; and children are running the race to write sentences by the end of kindergarten, read proficiently by third grade and score well on the ACT in eleventh grade.

Most people view education in a linear way, such that there are three distinct periods of time: the time before you go to school, the time in the K-12 system and the time of post high school. The reality is that education is more of a circular model in which one stage influences the others. For example, children who have limited or negative experiences during their first five years of life are more likely to struggle in school and less likely to seek postsecondary education or secure a job which provides a living wage for themselves and their family as adults.

There are numerous government sponsored programs to support children in their first five years of life such as quality daycare standards, nutrition supports and access to preschool programs. In Ionia County, we are privileged to have a locally sponsored program, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ionia County that can not only improve the life of a young child, but also have a positive impact on the entire community.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a book distribution program that provides a book a month to children birth to 5 living within the Ionia County Intermediate School District. Children receive books from birth to their fifth birthday and accumulate a complete home library of 60 books during this time. The program is based upon research that shows children who have access to books in their home are more likely to be read to and children who are read to before they go to school do better than their peers who have not been exposed to print and reading. The program costs only $27 per year for a child to receive one book per month. Families cannot be charged for the program and it is considered a gift from the community back to its youngest citizens.

A new mom, Jessica, shared that when her daughter Cassidy was born neither she nor her husband was working at the time. Both had struggled through their K-12 experience and neither had very fond memories of school and what it represented in their lives. They knew as they held their new baby that they wanted something different for their child. As young adults, they were not readers and they did not have books in their home. They learned about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and signed up their daughter when she was just a month old. Jessica and her husband made a conscious decision to read to their child everyday as part of their 4B plan: Bath, Bottle, Book and Bed.

Jessica said, "When the book arrived from the Imagination Library, we read that book every night for a month until the next book came." In time, their daughter began to request and select specific books that she wanted read each night on her own. Jessica adds, "We would have never been able to buy books to have at home at that time in our life."

Jessica and her husband epitomize the circular model as they are impacting not only the path for their daughter, but the community as a whole. Cassidy got a great start as she was read to frequently during her first five years of life, thus setting the stage for her to have a successful K-12 experience. This in turn makes her more likely to pursue post-secondary education opportunities to secure a higher wage for her family. This higher wage in turn leads to more money kept in the community as a whole. Most importantly, Cassidy will bring this culture of valuing reading and education to her own family. Literacy changes communities and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a critical piece on the educational reform continuum as it sets the stage for literacy in the home.

Since the program was initiated in Ionia County, approximately five years ago, over 20,000 books have been delivered to children's homes within Ionia ISD. A survey of local participants indicates that the program is working; parents are reading more to their children as a result of participating in the program and 90% of participants report that children are initiating reading by bringing books to their parent and requesting to be read to. It is also important to note that 58% of the families indicated that they would not be able to participate in the program if they had to pay for it themselves. This highlights the need for partners in the community to provide financial support to this program. Currently, Michigan One Community Credit Union, PCMI, United Way and all of the local school districts provide financial support to the program. In addition, many individuals provide donations to support children in the program.

If you are a business or an individual that cares about it youngest citizens and desires to be a part of a program that has a positive impact on the community as a whole, please contact the contact Cheryl Granzo at cgranzo@ioniasid.org or 1-616-522-1410 and learn how you can give a tax-deductible gift to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ionia County. Go to our Facebook page, Ionia Imagination Library and learn more about other families' stories.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.